Display card rack



June 6,- 1933. A. I Ewls DISPLAY CARD RACK Filed sept. 17, 1931 ATTORNEYS INTE'TR ALVIN Lawls Patented June 6, 1933 AL'VIN LEWIS, or NEW YORK, N. Y.

DISPLAY GARD RACK Application med' september 17, '1931.'` serial No. 563,376.

. This invention relates more particularly to racksfor supporting and displaying advertising cards upon a counter orwithin a show window. i y

An important object of the invention is to provide a display card rack of improved de` swn.

anOther objects of the invention will appear hereinafter. f n `In the drawing, Fig. 1 is a face view of my improved card rack with parts brokenaway to show the interior construction.

Fig 2 an enlarged side edge view ofthe card-supporting frame;

5 Fig. 3 an enlarged section takenon the line 3-3ofFig.1; i Fig. 4 an enlarged section taken onthe line 4-4 of Fig. 1;- y

Fig. 5 a perspective view of one of the closure slides of the frame; l I Fig. 6 a plan view ofan `upper corner of the frame; y l

Fig 7 an enlarged section taken on the line fFig. 8 a detail section taken onrthe line 8-8 of Fig. 7; and

Fig. 9 a side view of the base with the subbaseomitted.-` A y i The cardl rack `includes `a. card-holding 39 frame 1. `This frame comprises two face members 2, both ofthe same shape and size and disposed parallel with eachother and in register. Each member is formed'of sheet metal cut or stamped into an open structure slightly arched in contour at the top, converging downward slightly atthe sides and straight at the bottom except for a depending central V-portion 3. An inwardly turned contour flange 4is integrally formed upon 40 eachmember and extends along thetop, sides and bottomof the.member `andV down vthe edges of the V-portion Said contour flanges ofthe two members are opposed edge to edge. Along thetop, bottom and VVportion of the framethe flanges are preferably in edge to edge contact. `Along the .sides ofthe frame, however, `the flanges are reducedv in width to define an entrance slot 5 for edgewiselateral insertion of cardsinto theiframe. These slots extendupward from apoint adjacent the bottom of the frame to the upper corners of the frame. At said corners the flanges are entirely cut away, as at 6, for a purpose which will appear hereinafter. Each face member is alsoformed with three face openings 7, 8 and 9. These openings are horizontally elongated and located one above the other. They extend over most of the face area within the contour, leaving only a contour margin 10 and two narrow horizontal G0 ribs 11 separating the openings. Around the margins of the openings the sheet metal is turnedinward, as at 12, to produce a beveled effect and to closely engage the cards which are to be mounted `within the frame. G5 Around its contour each frame member is also formed with an outwardly pressed bead 1,3 which extends along the top,'bottom, sides and V-portion of the member. The inturned contour flanges 4 merge with said beads of 70 the two facemembers.

The card-receiving space between the face members 2 is divided into pockets by two sheet metal strips 14 disposed horizontally between the frame ribs 11. At their ends these strips have ears 15 turned upward or downward and secured to the inner sides of the frame members by spot welding or otherwise. The edges of the strips may also Vbe f secured to the rib 11. A sheet metal channel strip 16 is disposed between the bottom margins of the face members and similarly secured to them, and a short inverted channel strip 17` is similarly secured between the upper margins of the face members. Adjacent the upper corners of the frame sheet metal U-shaped members 18 are similarly secured between the. upper margins. The various secured strips and the U-members hold the face `members together and render the frame stiff and strong. The strips, together with the face members,also define three superposed` card-receiving pockets. There is a pocket between the lowermost strip 16 and one of the intermediate strips 14, another pocket between the two intermediate strips, and a `pocket between one of the intermediate strips and the top of the frame. All of these pockets open at their opposite ends through the side slots 5. j

ico

Each slot 5 is closed by a vertically shiftable slide 19. The latter is a sheet metal strip pressed outward along its longitudinal center line to form a bead 20 for stilfening the slide and for ornamental effect. The slides are inserted through the corner cut-outs 6 and their longitudinal edges are slidably engaged in the internal grooves formed by the outwardly pressed contour beads 13. Said grooves, together with the flanges 4 along the slots, form retaining guides along which the slides are shiftable upward and downward to open and closed positions. The

beads 13 stiften the frame, give it an ornamental appearance and also form mountings for the slides. At their upper ends the slides have small knobs 21 for -manipulating them.

The card-holding frame is supported upon a standard 22 comprising a straight metal rod approximately square in cross section and having vertically ribbed or fiuted surfaces for ornamental effect. At each end the standard has a threaded aperture 23. For attachment to the standard the frame has a screw 24 provided with a flat vertically elongated head 25 fitted between the V-portions of the face members of the frame and rigidly secured thereto by any suitable means, such as the rivets 26. The screw has a reduced threaded shank which extends downward from the frame and is screwed into the aperture 23 at the upper end of the standard. Encircling the screw shank is a collar 27 interposed between the upper end of thestandard and the V-portion of. the frame. Said collar forms an ornamental designelement. Each face member between its beaded edges is pressed outward to form a design element Q8 which combines with the beads and the collar to produce a ieur-delis effect at the juncture. of the frame and standard. The collar is of rectangular form and it forms the transverse band of the design. At its under side it has ribs 29 which fit closely against opposite sides of the standard and appear to be continuations of the beads 13.

The standard is supported by a base comprising a lower section or sub-base 30 and an upwardly tapering ribbed or fluted section 31 superposedupon the section 30 and forming a pedestal for the standard. These sections are preferably zinc die castings, bronzed or otherwise finished. The subbase is in the form of an open rectangular frame having a flat seat at its upperside for the section 31, and apertures 32 registering with apertures 33 in the under side of section 31.` Pins 34rdriven into said apertures hold the sections together. The sub-base is supported by feet 35 each having a felt facing and ay metal backing provided with a shank. The shanks vof the feet are driven into apertures in the under side of the subbase. If desired the sub-base may be omitted and the feet attached directly to the under side of the base section 30, as shown in Fig. 9, by driving the feet Shanks into the apertures 33.

The sub-base section 30 and the lower portion of the base section 31 are horizontally fiuted or ribbed to harmonize with the ribs or fluting of the other parts of the rack. At its upper end the base section 31 is formed, as at 36, to resemble the collar 27 and to provide a seat for the lower end of the standard. At opposite sides of said seat are ribs 37 formed to appear as continuations of certain of the ribs upon the section 31. They engage the standard to prevent it from turning upon the seat. The section 30 has a vertical aperture opening into the sea-t and registering with the threaded aperture at the lower end of the standard; and the base section 31 is cored out at its under side for the insertion of a headed screw 38 through said registering apertures. The screw holds the standard firmly to the base.

The different pockets of the rack frame serve to hold cards C bearing advertising legends of different character pertaining to the day of a sale, the article on sale and the price of the article, etc. A card or cards bearing a legend of one character may be removed and replaced by another card or cards indicating a change in price, etc., without disturbing or discarding the cards in the other pockets. The drawing shows, by dotted lines in Fig. 3, two oppositely facing cards in each frame pocket. The bevel surrounding each frame aperture engages the card faces and frames them neatly. When either of the closure slides is shifted upward the cards may be easily inserted or removed. `When the slides are closed they conceal the card edges and their reinforcing beads produce an ornamental effect in harmony with the other beaded parts of the rack. It will be seen that the rack has been ingeniously designed throughout for strength, utility and ornamental effect, many ornamental design features serving utilitarian purposes also.

What I claim is:

1. A frame for a sign panel comprising a pair of spaced, parallel, opposite face members of similar contour secured together in register with each other and each formed of a sheet of metal apertured to expose a sign upon the panel, said sheet metal face members being integrally formed with outwardly pressed face beads extending continuously around substantially their entire face contour, and integral, inturned contour flanges extending along the edges of the frame and opposed edge to edge, and said flanges delining an entrance slot therebetween along an edge of the frame for edgewise insertion and removal of the sign panel; and a closure slide for'said entrance slot, saidfflanges and the interior of Said beads along a portion of the length thereof forming guides along the slot integral contour flanges turnedinward from said beads, extending along the top, bottom and side edges of the frame and opposed edge `15, to edge and defining entrance slots along opposite side edges of the frame for edgewise lateral insertion and removal of the panel; and closure slides for said entrance slots, said flanges and the interior of said beads along the opposite side lengths thereof` forming guides along the slots supporting said slides for shifting up and down along the slots to open and close them.

3. A display card rack comprising a cardholding frame formed of two parallel Jface members disposed in register and secured together in spaced relation; a standard sup` porting the frame and having a threaded aperture in its upper end; a screw having a head disposed and secured between said face members at the lower edge of the frame, and a threaded shank depending from the frame and screwed into said standard aperture; and a collar upon the screw shank interposed H35 and clamped between the frame and the standard and forming an ornamental design.

4. A display card rack comprising a cardholding frame: a standard supporting said frame; a detachable connection between the `frame and standard; and a collar encircling holding frame having a screw shank fixed thereto and depending from its lower edge; a supporting standard having a threaded aperture at its upper end receiving said screw shank and a threaded aperture in its lower end; a collar encircling the screw shank and held between the frame and the upper end of the standard and forming an ornamental design element; a base supporting said standard and having a central aperture; a screw inserted upward through said base aperture and screwed into the aperture in the lower end of the standard; and means I co ics

carried by the base engaging the standard to hold it against turning and formingan ornamental design element.

6. A display card rack comprising a card holding frame having a screw sha-nk fixed thereto and depending from its lower edge; a supporting standard having a threaded apertureat its upper end receiving said screw shank and a threaded aperture in its lower end; avcollar encircling the screw shank and held between the frame and the upper end of the standard and forming an ornamental design element; a base supporting said' standard 'and having a central aperture; a screw inserted upward through said base aperture and screwed into the aperture in the lower end of the standard; means carried by the base engaging the standard `to hold it against turning and forming an ornamental designeleinent; and a sub-base secured to said lirst base.

7. A fra-me for a sign panel comprising a pair of spaced opposite face members of similar contour secured together in register with each other in parallel upright planes to hold a sign panel therebetween and eachV formed of a sheet of metal apertured to'expose a sign upon the panel, said sheet metal face members being integrally formed with outwardly pressed face beads extending continuously along the top edge and a side edge `of their face contour, the frame having an entrance slot along a side edge thereof for edgewise insertion and removal of the sign panel; and a closure slide for said entrance slot, the interior of said beads along a portion of the length thereof forming guides along said slot supporting saidslide for shifting. upward anddownward along the slot to open and closeit.

8. A frame for a sign panel comprising a pair of spaced opposite face members of similar contour secured together in register with eachother in parallel upright planes to hold a sign panel `therebetween and each formed of a sheet of metal apertured to expose assign on the panel, said face members having integral opposed portions depending centrally from their lower edges and integral inturned flanges opposed edge to edge and extending around the contour of the face members and `downward along the opposite edges of said depending central portions; a supportingstandard for the frame having a threaded aperture in its upper end; a threaded shank depending from the lower edges of said depending. portions of the face members `and screwed `into said aperture of the standard and having a head conlined between said central dependingportions of the face members and their `side llanges and secured to said portions to support the frame on the standard. Y

9. Aframe for a sign panel comprising a pair of spaced opposite face members of similar contour secured together in register with each other in parallel upright planes to bold a sign panel therebetween and each formed of a sheet of metal apertured to ex shank depending from' the lower edges of said depending portion of the face members and screwed into said aperture of the stand- .ard and having a head fitted between said central depending portions of the face members and secured thereto to support the frame on the standard.

l0. A frame for a sign panel comprising a pair of spaced opposite face members of similar contour secured together in register with eachother in parallel upright planes to hold a sign panel therebetween and each formed of a sheet of metal apertured to expose a sign on the panel, said face members having integral opposed portions depending centrally from their lower edges; a filler block interposed between said depending central portions and secured thereto; a supporting standard for the frame; and a threaded connection between said filler block and the vsupporting standard to support the frame on the standard.

11. A frame for a sign panel, comprising a pair of spaced parallel, opposite face members of similar contour secured together in register with each other and each formed of a sheet ofnietal apertured to expose a sign on the panel, said sheet metal face members being integrally formed with outwardly pressed face beads extending contin uously along the topv edge and a side edge of their face contour, and integral inturned contour flanges extending along the side and topedges of the frame and opposed edge to edge, said flanges defining an entrance slot therebetween along a side edge of the fra-Ine for edgewise lateral insertion' and removal of the sign panel; and a closure slide for said entrance slot, said flanges and thel interior of' said beads along one side of the frame forming guides along said slot sup-l porting said slide for shifting up and down along the slot to'open and close it, the inturned contour flanges being interrupted at an upper corner of the frame in alinement with said guides to afford clearance for upward withdrawalof the slide.

12. A frame for a sign panel, comprising a. pair of spaced parallel, 'opposite face members of 'similar contour secured together in register with ea'chrother'and each formed 'of a sheet of metal apertured to expose a'sign on the panel, saidsheet metal face members being integrally formed with outwardly pressed face beads extending continuously along the top and opposite sides of their face contour, and integral inturned contour flanges extending along the side and top edges of the rframe and opposed' edge to edge, 'said flanges defining entrance slots' therebetween along the opposite side edges of the frame for edgewise lateral insertion and removal of the sign panel; and closure `slides for said entrance slots, saidianges and the interior of said beads along the opposite sides of the signature.

ALVIN LEWIS. 

